Valdez, Cougars hammer Stellar Prep 72-24

UPPER LAKE -- Joey Valdez scored four touchdowns and had two sacks to power the Upper Lake Cougars to a 72-24 rout of the Stellar Prep Thunder in a North Central League II varsity football game that was memorable on a couple of counts Saturday afternoon in Upper Lake.

The three-and-a-half-hour-long game featured four kickoff returns for touchdowns -- three by the Thunder (0-2 league, 1-4 overall) and the other by Valdez, who rambled 55 yards with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter for the game's final touchdown.

All of Stellar Prep's touchdowns were of the Thunder and lightning variety. Incredibly quick sophomore running back Dante Johnson scored on a 75-yard run to tie the game at 6 midway through the first quarter, and he scored again on an 86-yard kickoff return early in the second quarter to cut Upper Lake's lead to 18-12. Teammate Chandler Gumbs returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to reduce the Cougars' advantage to 56-18, then Johnson struck yet again midway through the fourth quarter, this time on a 79-yard kickoff return, to make it 64-18. Valdez returned the ensuing kickoff for the game's final touchdown moments later.

While the breakdown in special teams coverage was definitely a concern to the Upper Lake coaching staff, the Cougars (2-0, 3-2) dominated the day on offense and defense largely because of their physical play up front.

Upper Lake ran for nine touchdowns - three each by Valdez and Ward Beecher, two by Jeremy Martin, and one by Travis Coleman. Beecher led the team with 140 yards on 15 carries, Martin added 102 on seven carries, and Valdez had 72 on seven carries.

Aside from Johnson's 75-yard TD run in the first quarter for Stellar Prep, the Thunder did little else on offense, finishing with 136 yards.

Upper Lake's defense also forced two turnovers and recorded four sacks for a combined 44 yards in losses.

While homecoming activities caused the game to get off to a late start (Valdez was named homecoming king at halftime), the first half took two hours to complete. If not for a running clock in the fourth quarter, the two teams may have hit the four-hour mark.

Johnson rushed for 107 of Stellar Prep's yards and had twice that in return yardage.

Upper Lake finished with 486 yards of total offense, 436 of those on the ground. Coleman completed the only pass he attempted, a 50-yard strike to Wes Thaxton late in the second quarter as the Cougars, who took over at the Upper Lake 12-yard line following a Martin interception with 1:47 remaining, marched 88 yards in five plays to go up 34-12 on a Beecher 1-yard run, with Valdez adding the two-point conversion run.

Upper Lake went for two points after each of its 10 touchdowns and converted six times (three Coleman runs, one Beecher run, one Valdez run, and one Coleman pass to Valdez).

Editor's note: A more detailed version of the story will appear in Tuesday's edition of the Record-Bee as well as on the Record-Bee's web page (www.record-bee.com) and on the Record-Bee's facebook page Monday night.